Speed of a Snail

The World Almanac and Book of Facts 1999. New Jersey: Primedia, 1998: 572.

"Garden snail, 0.03 mph"

0.013 m/s

Branson, Branley Allan. World & I. 11, 5 (May 1996): 166.

"A large banana slug has been observed to cover 6.5 inches in 120 minutes. At that rate, a tortoise would seem fleet-footed."

0.000023 m/s

The Guinness Book of World Records 1998. Stanford, CT: Guinness, 1997: 144.

"A garden snail named Archie, owned by Carl Branhorn of Pott Row, England, covered a 13 inch course in 2 minutes at the 1995 World Snail Racing Championships, held in Longhan, England."

0.0028 m/s

Snails and slugs are gastropods, which make up the largest class of mollusks
with more than 60,000 species. Most of these species can be identified by their
shells. Some dwell in ocean, others in the freshwater of rivers, ponds, and lakes.
Land snails abound in tropical jungles and in damp temperate regions. All of them
need calcium carbonate for building their shells, and so are not common in sandy
soil. Slugs differ from snails in that they generally have only a small internal
shell.

Snails move by sliding on their single foot. Specialized glands in the foot
secrete mucus, which lubricates the path over which the snail crawls. Snails can
only crawl. Even those that live in water can't swim. As they crawl they secrete
a slime to help themselves move across surfaces. Snails and slugs travel at speeds
that vary from slow (0.013 m/s) to very slow (0.0028 m/s).

The snail's head bears the mouth opening and one or two pairs of tentacles.
The eyes are located at the base of the tentacles. Most snails live off plants
and dead organic matter, although a few are carnivorous. Their radula is a tongue-like
projection of their mouth which is lined with small sharp teeth. Some snails obtain
food by using their radula to drill holes in the shells of other mollusks.

Freshwater snails and land snails have been eaten by people since prehistoric
times. Today they are still regarded as a delicacy in many countries. The market
supply comes largely from snails that are raised in captivity on special farms
in southern France, Italy, and Spain. About 10,000 snails can be kept in a 9 square
meter area, where they are fed meal, vegetables, and bran.

Angie Yee -- 1999

Bibliographic Entry

Result(w/surrounding text)

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Doherty, James G. Natural History. March 1974. as cited in Speed of Animals. InfoPlease Kid's Almanac.

"The Guinness Gastropod Championship, held in the O'Conor Don pub in central London, also featured an attempt to break the world 13 inch sprint record -- currently held by Archie at two minutes 20 seconds."

0.0024 m/s

"But it turned out to be a disappointing day for Mr. Riseborough, whose fastest snail came in at six minutes 26 seconds."

"The fastest speed achieved by a snail in the Guinness Gastropod Championship, held over a 13-inch (330-millimetre) course in the O'Conor Don pub in central London, is only 0.0085 kilometres per hour. This record is held by a mollusc called Archie, which took 2 minutes and 20 seconds to cover the course."

0.0024 m/s

"During a series of experiments involving the marine gastropod Gibbula umbilicalis, I measured a mean speed of 0.0065 kilometres per hour when it was in the presence of a predatory starfish, Asterias rubens."

"Well, the fastest snail that I've ever had covered a two foot course, which is a standard course for a snail race … in some three minutes flat. Now any mathematicians listening to the program will realize straight away that works out at 132 hours to travel a full mile."

"The gastropod won the final at the village fete in Congham, Norfolk on Saturday in a time of three minutes and 41 seconds. His owner, 62-year-old Claire Lawrence from Litcham, Norfolk, was presented with a silver tankard filled with lettuce…. The snails are placed in the centre of an inner circle, from which they must travel 13-inches to an outer circle which forms the finishing line."